


Protocol 76

by frenchforbird



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angela "Mercy" Zeigler - Freeform, Angst, Fareeha "Pharah" Amari - Freeform, Lost Love, M/M, Mental Breakdown, mentions of:, reinhardt - Freeform, this sort of has some intense descriptions of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 09:44:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9485558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchforbird/pseuds/frenchforbird
Summary: summaries are for L O S E R S.(Strike-Commander Jack Morrison wakes up after the Swiss HQ explosion with no memory of that day. What happens next will break your heart.)





	

Jack Morrison forced himself to take a breath. Then another. He forced himself to ignore how he couldn’t see out of his left eye. He forced himself to ignore the blood that was warm on his chest. He could hear shouting, someone calling his name. A lot of names were being called, he realized. The pounding in his head didn’t let him recognize anyone but himself. There was so much pain, rendering him unable to respond to the calls. There was pressure on his legs, and any movement sent a trickle of agony down his spine. Until he was found, he was stuck. He needed the time to think, to sort out the situation.

The first problem was that Morrison didn’t remember anything past breakfast. Gabe had been working night shifts lately, avoiding Jack. They were going to talk after Jack got home that night. There was a growing distance between them, the stress of work and Talon and the media- they wanted to fix it. Oh god, he hoped Gabe was okay. Whatever had happened, Gabe needed to be alright.

“Commander!” The voices yelling his name got closer. He blinked, and a blurry face was in his vision. His right eye wasn’t doing to good, either. He could feel a gash scabbing up around it. “Commander, can you hear me?”

He managed to nod at the unfamiliar face. Jack had been hoping for Angela, she was someone he could trust in a situation like this. She could keep a calm head, keep her patients calm. She had seen so much, it was hard to disturb her. Sometimes Jack would see her calmly speaking to rescued hostages, tortured beyond recognition, and feel a deep pit of guilt settle inside him. She was too young for this. 

“Commander, we need to get you out of here. This was an assassination attempt. Athena has recommended Protocol 76- we don’t know what it is, just a location to deliver you to. We’re going to move you there now.”

When the responder team began moving Jack, he let himself close his eyes. He hoped Gabe was safe. He hoped Angela was safe. He hoped Reinhardt was taking care of Fareeha. He hoped he hoped he hoped.

\---

When Jack opened his eyes again, he was numb, feeling nothing. His right eye made out the blurry features of a room, a window with yellow curtains letting in dim light from outside. Everything seemed to have a thin layer of dust on it. No one else was in the room, he decided, after turning his head sharply to try and see. 

“Good afternoon, Agent Morrison. It is 1:53 PM. You are currently in the Rocky Mountains. Would you like to know your condition?” Athena’s voice rang out, but he didn’t see her anywhere. Hesitantly, he nodded, his voice dry in his throat. “You sustained a head injury that caused the irreparable loss of eyesight in your left eye- unless you are interested in a cybernetic. You eyesight in your right eye has also deteriorated, but my estimations are that the surgery we performed will prevent you from going completely blind. Your legs were broken under a support beam, but they have been reinforced with titanium. Your agility will be limited, but you will find you will have increased endurance. Do you have any questions?”

“Where are you?” He really wanted to ask about Gabe, but their relationship was technically against Overwatch policy. Not that anyone listened to that policy. “What happened?”

“My body was destroyed in the explosion. I am lucky that Agent Winston had the foresight to give me a backdoor into the Overwatch servers. My consciousness is now linked to them. He is not sure if I will be able to be removed. I prefer it here, for now. It seems safer than the physical.”

“Explosion?! Athena, what happened, all I remember is this morning-”

“It has been three days since the explosion, Agent Morrison. At 9:38 AM, there was a detonation on the third floor, in a critical support area. The entire building came down, although the east wing was able to entirely evacuate before it came down. There were 73 casualties, including yourself. I’ve made the executive decision to initiate Protocol 76.”

“Who set off the explosion.”

“Information unknown. Uncredible news sources have pinned the blame on Agent Reyes. Other agents are looking into the claim.”

“Is he in custody?”

“Negative. He is one of the casualties.”

Jack didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to be as passive as possible. It was easier to think about Gabe having something to do with the explosion than thinking he was dead. He couldn’t be dead. “Why is he a suspect?”

“If you turn to your right, Agent Morrison, I will pull up the reports for you. It is a shame you don’t remember anything. One survivor has reported to us that you were having an argument shortly before the explosion.” He didn’t speak for a long time, struggling to get through the first article. It felt like someone had ripped his heart from his chest. “Agent Morrison, I am aware of the fact that you and Agent Reyes were close. I offer my condolences.”

“What’s Protocol 76?” He ignored Athena’s comment, or the charges against Gabe. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

“I created a set of Protocols for all prominent agents that helps them completely go off the grid. If someone were to take your fingerprints, they would not get any results for Jack Morrison. As strike commander, you were a target of society. Now you have a chance to start over.”

“Who is going to replace me?”

“No one, Agent Morrison. Overwatch has been shut down. Any Overwatch activities have been made illegal. It’s been a long three days. Usually the Protocols are used to go into hiding until it is safe to return. You will not be returning.”

“What do I do?”

“Stay under the radar. Do not contact _anyone._ Get your strength back. Make a new life.”

“What about Reyes?”

“Agent Reyes is dead. I do not understand what you are asking.”

Jack looked down at his hands. He still had the engagement ring, mangled as it was. He didn’t answer Athena.

Jack Morrison liked to think he wasn’t a crier. But it was the second time in his life he had cried while looking at that plain golden ring. And if Gabe had been behind the explosion? How could he deal with himself then? Knowing he missed every sign of what was coming?

He was alone, now.

Alone at the end of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> guess who wrote another sad overwatch fic?? this fucker right here
> 
> it might low-key be crap, I literally wrote it this morning, typed it up during lunch, and am finally posting it now. this fic has existed less than a day. it is a newborn and has zero editting. it's a total mess and I know it. enjoy.
> 
> feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for reading!!


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